Childhood Memories
by yukiislikesnow
Summary: A special turns Peter into a child, and for now he's Mohinder's responsibility. Gen-fic, first two chapters are short. Just a semi-sweet, comfort fic because a wee little Peter is just too cute.
1. Rude Awakenings

Title: Childhood Memories

Chapter: 1

Summary: A special turns Peter into a little kid and now he's Mohinder's responsibility.

Author's Note: Okay, so I'm not giving up on my Settled World Verse, but just know that Childhood Memories has nothing to do with Settled World. I had this image of a small Peter rubbing his eyes and holding a blanket and coming into Mohinder's room saying 'I had a nightmare, can I sleep with you?' And then Momo is all like 'The cuteness...I can not refuse!'

3rd Person POV

"We have a problem."

When Mohinder Suresh was jerked from his sleep by an insistant knocking, he swore under his breath that it had better be for a good reason. He had stumbled blindly through his darkened apartment and threw open his front door without checking it first. He had then blinked in a slow and confused way as Noah Bennet stated they had a problem. The company man was standing in his apartment hallway holding a small child to his chest. The child was a pale and petite, and shaking ever so slightly in Noah's tight grip. The child's nose was pressed firmly into Noah's neck and under a wild mass of soft black hair Mohinder could make out the sound of a thumb being sucked.

"A-and that problem would be?"

Noah hitched the child farther up on his hip. The jostling movement elicited a small whimper. Mohinder's gaze shifted from the child's wild mess of a hair to the baggie white shirt the child was swimming in. Mohinder was able to steal a glance at small black shorts before Noah caught his attention again.

"Mohinder, meet Peter."

"Peter?"

"Peter Petrelli. Peter, would you like to tell Mr. Suresh how old you are?"

Mohinder's mouth dropped open as the boys head shook back and forth and then tried to curl further around Noah. The company man made comforting noises and rubbed a hand along Peter's back.

"He's a nice man Peter, just tell him how old you are."

Mohinder watched in awe as Peter's small pale face turned away from Noah's neck enough to look shyly up at him. Mohinder had his suspicions about what Noah was telling him, but those watery hazel eyes and those little crooked lips were definatly Peter's.

From around a wet and pikened finger, Peter murmered five. Mohinder smiled sweetly and waved, not at all offeneded by the sniffle he got in return. He stood aside and ushered Noah and Peter in before locking his door and switching on the light. Noah eased Peter onto the couch, something he looked entirely displeased about. He ducked his head, covering his face in a mass of unruly black hair, and sucked harder on his thumb.

Noah pulled Mohinder aside and crossed his arms.

"I have a flight to catch. I can't take him with me, and I know for a fact this will wear off in a week or two. Can you take him?"

Mohinder cast a quick look in Peter's direction, worried that he'd heard something, then turned back to Noah.

"Take him? I am not a nanny Bennet! Something horrible has happened to Peter and it needs to be dealt with. You can't just drop him off here like you're taking your child to daycare."

Noah held his hands up and made an angry shushing noise.

"This is because of a special alright. He's regressed and he only has his memories up until when he was five. I'd take him to Angela but he'd notice how much older he looks. I'd send Claire out here but she's busy. You're the only one I trust with him."

"What about Emma? Or Sylar...Gabriel, whatever he goes by these days. Aren't they friends now? Aren't Peter and Emma dating?"

Noah rubbed the bridge of his nose and stepped closer to Mohinder.

"I don't have to tell you that there are people out there who would jump at a chance to hurt Peter. He's safe with you. And Sylar's off with the carnival. I don't have a compass anymore, he's unreachable at the moment."

Mohinder sighed and mentally weighed the pros and cons of calling Matt to speak with Molly. Unease rolled around in his stomach and made him relent. He still wasn't ready to trust Sylar. Mohinder sighed and pressed his palms to his face.

"Does he have any clothes?"

Noah shook his head and checked his watch.

"He doesn't yet but Angela's sending someone here with clothes, a toothbrush, and some toys. He'll be here soon."

Mohinder's jaw ticked, angry at Noah's assumption.

"Well I suppose I have no choice then."

Noah didn't even bother to hide the joy he felt over riling Suresh up. He smirked at the geneticist and waited for a snide comment, any comment. But nothing came. Mohinder knew better than to get into an argument when there was a distraught child nearby. The two of them glared at eachother for nearly a minute before a soft yawn caught their attention. They looked over to where Peter was curled into a tight ball on the couch, shivering lightly.

"Angela said he was always cold, because he was so tiny."

Mohinder nodded and jogged quietly into his room before digging a large fleece blanket from his closet. He tucked it around Peter carefully and brushed his bangs back, revealing a tear stained, pinkened face fast asleep. Mohinder debating easing the thumb out of Peter's mouth, but decided that since no gap was aparent in the adult Peter, no damage must have been done as a child.

While Mohinder had been tending to Peter, Noah had let in Angela's assistant, taken the bag, and then dismissed him. Mohinder's jaw ticked again, this time angry that Noah had invited a stranger into his home.

"Anything else Bennet? Or can I go back to sleep?"

Bennet shook his head and tossed a large black duffle bag at Mohinder before taking his leave. Now alone with Peter, Mohinder sank into a crouch and studied the young boy's face. His mind fluttered through different what if's and possible problems. He worried that this wouldn't be reversable, or that Peter would find out about Nathan. He worried that Peter would be frightened of him. He worried that something would happen to him. And as he stood and made his way to his bedroom, he worried that Peter would remember everything when he changed back.


	2. Go Bump in the Night

Title: Childhood Memories

Chapter: 2

Summary: A special turns Peter into a child, and for now he's Mohinder's responsibility.

Pairing: Non, gen-fic

Author's notes: I feel like the chapters are too short. I shall endeavor to make them longer in the future.

3rd Person POV

In the dark inconspicuous things can become sinister and terrifying. A bowl of candies becomes a swarm of bugs, a table turns into a crawling monster, and every little noise is the deafening sound of creatures roaming. Peter currently found himself staring down the monsters of the night in an unfamiliar home, miles away from his mother and brother. Everything was out to get him. Everything. The occassional car droning by on the nearby street did nothing to calm his nerves. The headlights streaked into the barely opened blinds and threw the monsters into life for a few seconds before the shadows swallowed them up again. Peter imagined that it made them angier.

He squeezed his eyes shut and clutched the fleece blanket tighter to his chest. He wanted so badly to suck on his thumb and wish it all away, but he wanted his hands free in case of emergency. So he listened intently to every little thing going bump in the night. He tried to tell himself that it was just the ice maker and the air conditioning, but his imagination ran away despite himself. The ice maker became the angry rattling of a creature stuck in a tight place, ready to strike out. The whirl of the air conditioner became the heavy breathing of something big and hairy, possibly hiding under the very couch he sat on.

Small tears leaked from the corners of his eyes and soaked into the heavy blanket. He tried to stifle all of his sobs, worried that Mr. Suresh would be angry with him for disturbing his rest. Then he felt a quick brush of scales against his curled toes, and he screamed. That one loud scream turned into a pitiful sobbing rittled with wet chokes. He was scared and he wanted his mother, his brother, he would even settle for his father.

He curled into himself and covered his eyes with his hands, too terrified to look for his scaley assailant. Over the sound of his own crying he heard frantic footsteps and his sobs took on a greater desperation. He feared that Mr. Suresh would be angry with him and was almost shocked into silence when he felt two strong, warm, arms wrap around him and pick him up. He dug his nose into Mr. Suresh's orange shirt and cried freely, happy that someone had come to save him from the scary scaley monster of the dark.

"Shhh, shhh, hush, it's alright. It's alright. I've got you. What's the matter Peter?"

"I-I'm s-scaaaaared." Mohinder listened sadly as Peter stopped explaining to cry and gasp into his shirt. "Want Mommy a-and Nathan!" Peter sobbed some more and dug his fingers further into Mohinder's shirt. "A-and a mon-monster touched my foot!"

Mohinder's brow furrowed as he tried to think about what could have touched Peter. He began rocking gently back and forth, rubbing Peter's back and singing softly in Tamil. Mohinder dropped his cheek down to the crown on Peter's head and frowned around his song, feeling horrible for Peter. Crocodile tears soaked the front of his shirt and a small dribble of snot was sliding across his neck and down the neck of his shirt. He finished his song and stood, taking Peter with him to his bedroom. Just before he set Peter down he saw Mohinder the lizard scurry down the hallway.

He opened his mouth in understanding and hugged Peter tighter to his chest. His sheets were in disarray, thrown aside when he heard Peter's scream. Mohinder tried to lay him down, but the small empath would have none of it. Peter dug his fingers and heels deep into Mohinder's flesh and let out a pitiful sob when Mohinder tried to let him go.

"N-nooooo!"

The geneticist sighed and eased himself on the bed with Peter's quivering form wrapped tightly around his front. Next he worked the blankets up around them and pressed a kiss to the crown of Peter's head.

"I've got you Peter. You're safe, I promise. No one can hurt you."

His only response was the sound of Peter sucking contentedly on his thumb.

* * *

Okay, so here's some key points to the fic that you might want to know in regaurds to abilities. You guys remember how Claire survived Meredith's fire as a baby because of the regeneration? Well we're led to believe that her ability stopped because she, ya know, grew up. So the way I see it, abilities are a genetic condition, and those can go into remission. Kind of like how cancer can go into remission for years and then suddenly come back. So in my mind, Peter manifested early as an empath and he was really emotionally sensitive and his ability may have quited down or gone into remission. Then he got it again at 26.

And to Peter's acting like a baby: he's 5. He woke up naked in a strange place, with a stranger. A stranger who then told him his mom, dad, and brother were all far away. And then he was taken to another stranger in the dead of night and he has no idea when he'll get to go home or what's going on. So...yeah...

The next chapter will show exactly what went down when Peter regressed and all the lies Noah had to tell him to get him in the car.


	3. A Time of Reprieve

Title: Childhood Memories

Chapter: 3

Pairing: none, gen-fic

Author's notes: I've tried to make this chapter a bit longer. And I'm pretty blown away that you guys actually like it. I'm pretty excited about it and I'll do my best to keep up the good work.

3rd Person POV

Mohinder awoke in the morning to a mess of drool coating his neck and collarbone. He grimmaced and tried to pull himself free without waking Peter, who was still fast asleep. After pulling himself away, he gently eased the covers up around Peter's shoulders and grabbed some clothes before padding into the bathroom. After a quick wash in the sink he set about looking for Mohinder the lizard before he could cross paths with Peter again. He searched high and low for half an hour and was currently half under his couch, holding the very tip of the lizard's tail. The reptile struggled wildly and Mohinder continued to tug gently, worried that his strength would harm the little critter.

Just as he was about to pull Mohinder free he heard soft footsteps and a small coo like yawn. He jerked himself out from under the couch and turned to face Peter, all while craddling the lizard to his chest.

"Ah, good morning Peter. This is Mohinder. He's the one who crawled across your toes last night."

Peter blushed and fiddled with the hem of his T-shirt.

"Aren't you Mohinder?"

Mohinder smiled and put the lizard back in his cage and secured the lid. He turned back to the young boy and scooped him up.

"My father named him after me."

Peter wound his arms around Mohinder's neck loosely and looked at his shoulder, ashamed. He felt stupid now that it was morning. He chided himself mentally for not having the sense to just look instead of jumping to conclusions. He bit his lip and tucked his nose in Mr. Suresh's shoulder and waited for a scolding.

"Do you like waffles Peter?"

He squirmed in Mr. Suresh's grip and turned to face him. He blushed heavily when their noses bumped.

"You're not mad at me?"

Mohinder smiled and bopped his nose against Peter's.

"Of course not. I have a little girl, Molly, and she use to have nightmares. I'm very use to it Peter. You don't have to be sorry. Waffles or french toast?"

Mohinder sat Peter at the breakfast table and patted his head. Then he shuffled towards the cabnets and waited for a reply.

"Waffles please Mr. Suresh."

"You can call me Mohinder, or Momo, if you'd like."

Peter nodded happily and wiped up his face with the back of his hand. The teak chair was just barely taller than him standing, so his tiny bare feet dangled back and forth over the floor. His fingers traced the chili-pepper print on the placemat in front of him and wondered idly if his mother would find it tacky. He smiled down at the mats and scrunched up his nose, deciding that he liked them anyways, especially if his parents would find them ugly. His feet swung back and forth, faster and faster until his butt started to slip off the edge of the chair.

"Peter."

The young empath started and slipped the rest of the way out of the chair. Mohinder was tactful enough to not call his bluff when he righted himself quickly and smiled.

"Yes Mohinder?"

"Your mother sent you some things. Over there in that duffle bag are some clothes if you want to change. The bathroom is just down the hall from my room."

Peter nodded and inched out of the kitchen with an embarassed blush covering his face. When he was free of Mr. Suresh's warm gaze he ran to the black duffle bag and whipped open the zipper. On the very top of the pile was his favorite shirt, clean and folded, in the center of the bag. Peter giggled happily and pulled his light blue X-Men shirt out of the duffle and hugged it to his chest before digging for the rest of his outfit.

By the time he had finished Mohinder had Peter's waffles piled up on a bright green plate in front of the seat Peter vacated earlier. Peter hummed happily and climbed into his chair, ready to dig in. His stomach growled, unable to resist the food, but Peter waited. His mother had taught him to wait patiently, it was only polite. So he sipped on his orange juice and studied the mismatched dishes and decorations littering the kitchen, and waited.

Soon enough he was joined by a wild haired Mohinder, whose plate of waffles was significantly larger than his own. Peter watched with eager eyes as Mohinder's fork lowered to the plate and the prongs made contact with the topmost waffle. That was his cue, and he dug in. Mohinder watched in silent amusement as Peter tore through his waffles with all the fever of a young boy, but without making a single mess. He smiled around his own mouthfulls at Peter's small happy face, glad that he was over his night time funk.

"Are you enjoying breakfast Peter?"

Peter seemed startled by the question, because of it's suddenness. One cheek was pushed out by a particularly large bite of waffle. Mohinder hid his smile behind his hand and waited for Peter to swallow and wash it down with some orange juice.

"Very much Mr. Sur--Mohinder."

The geneticist nodded happily and looked Peter over. He had always imagined Peter as the comic book loving child but seeing it made it so much different. He looked even cuter this morning, all smiles and swinging feet. Mohinder wouldn't be surprised if Peter had dimples as a child. He'd keep an eye out for them.

"Peter, Mr. Bennet...well, the two of us don't always get along. He was rather short with me last night. Could you maybe tell me what you remember about last night before you got here?"

Peter's legs stopped swinging as he thought about what to say. He licked his lips and took a small sip of his juice.

"Mm, I woke up and Mr. Bennet was putting a shirt on me. My head hurt a little and there was a lady crying behind him. She was saying sorry, but I don't know what for. I cried a lot and..."

Peter's face burned a briliant red and he turned his attention from Mohinder to his plate.

"And what Peter? I promise I won't be angry."

Peter pushed his fork through the syrup on his plate and let his bangs fall in front of his face.

"I hit Mr. Bennet...and scratched him...and I bit his arm really hard. I tasted blood, and then he said a swear word."

"You were very frightened Peter. I can assure you that Mr. Bennet isn't angry with you."

Peter sighed and put his fork down.

"Well he said a swear...Um, then he called my mommy and she told me that her and daddy and Nathan had to go on an emergency trip. She said she wanted me to stay here and that I needed to be a good boy. But I was still really scared. I didn't know where I was. I always wake up when mommy or Nathan pick me up. Always! Nathan says I turn into a spider monkey and I squeeze him too tight."

Mohinder smiled despite the sadness in Peter's voice. He could already imagine Peter winding himself tightly around anyone who carried him and climbing all over them.

"When I woke up I was tired and dizzy and...and why didn't mo-mommy wake me u-up to tell me? Why Mo-Mohinder, why?"

Telling the story had taken all of the bravado from Peter. He was crying again, distraught over the thought that his mother didn't love him anymore, or that she had pushed him aside for Nathan, again. He pushed his palms to his eyes and crocodile tears poured down. Mohinder raised quickly from his seat and picked Peter up, cradling him to his chest. He made shushing noises and rocked Peter gently up and down. He rubbed one hand up and down the boys back and rested his chin on the crown of Peter's head.

"Your mother loves you very much Peter. She...She didn't want to ruin your summer by stealing you away on business. She knew you'd be bored there."

"S-She di-didn't saaaay g-goodbyeeee!"

Sobs racked through Peter's body and tugged on Mohinder's heart.

"Shhhh, it's alright. I have it on good authority that she...kissed all your face. She said goodbye and fiddled with your hair and everything. She thought you were awake enough to remember. You were probably just too sleepy to remember."

Peter's cries started to quiet as he took in what Mohinder had to say. He clung tight to Mohinder, digging his hands into the flesh of Peter's back.

"She did?"

"Of course. Your mother loves you very much and she gave you a wonderful goodbye."

Peter sniffled into Mohinder's neck and took deep breaths to stop his crying.

"Would you like to talk with her?"

Peter nodded franticly and wriggled down and out of Mohinder's grasp. Mohinder held on lightly until his toes made contact, then let him free. Peter bounced excitedly on the balls of his feet, waiting for Mohinder to dial a phone. Mohinder wiped away the rest of his tears and lead Peter to the house phone. His fingers hovered over the keys for a moment, unsure of the number. It had been stored in his cell so long he had trouble recalling it on memory. Peter whined quietly at his hesitation and Mohinder let out a slow breath and dialed.

Two rings later Angela Petrelli called out a terse 'Suresh' and Mohinder smiled.

"Your son wants to speak with you. And he wants to hear all about that goodbye he was too sleepy to remember. You know, where you kissed all over his face."

_"Of course."_

Mohinder was happy that she caught on without needing further explination and passed the phone down to Peter. The boy smiled happily and began babbling into the phone right away. Mohinder made his way to the kitchen to clean up breakfast and give Peter some privacy.

* * *

Was X-Men around when Peter was a kid? And I'm avoiding the cell phone because they're a lot sleaker now and the way I figure it, Mohinder doesn't want Peter to know something's up.

Comments are love. 3


	4. A Little Tea to Help you Sleep

Title: Childhood Memories

Chapter: 4

Pairing: Non, Gen-fic

Summary: A special turns Peter into a child, and for now he's Mohinder's responsibility.

Author's notes: For my LJ and readers, your reviews are amazing. I love you guys so much for it. For my readers, a special thanks to everyone who has this fic on their alerts. For my LJ readers, thanks for everyone who keeps checking in on my page. And for anyone who's reading my Settled World fics, they're still coming okay. I'm not ready to give up on my sexy Petlar.

3rd Person POV

The living room was filled with Peter's happy babble. He'd been talking to Angela for nearly twenty minutes and showed no signs of stopping. Mohinder, who was leaning in the kitchen doorway, could see the distress beginning to fade from Peter's face. But there was still an underlying insecurity. He seemed to be truely frightened that Angela had abandoned him. Mohinder's heart clenched, but he knew it would be alright. He knew that Peter grew up to be a well-rounded adult and a wonderful person.

As much as he wanted to linger, Mohinder knew it would be impolite, so he went to his study to get some work done. Looking around at the things he had laying about, a camera, a laptop, his cellphone, Mohinder sighed. He tilted his head and listened for Peter's conversation. Once he was sure Peter was preoccupied he set about hiding anything too conspicuous. He moved about quietly, gathering everything up and storing it in his closet.

Mohinder put his hands on his hips and wondered how on Earth he'd be able to keep the year a secret from Peter. If the condition only lasted for a day he'd have no problem, but a week or two, that was a challange. Mohinder could think of no lie to cover the television programs. He could think of no reason to insist that Peter stay indoors and away from windows. He shited his weight from foot to foot and drummed his fingers against his hips.

"--oh yeah...MOHINDER! Mommy wants to TALK to youuuuu!"

He could hear Peter's light footsteps scamper across the livingroom and then stop short just before his study. Peter peeked shyly around the corner, and at Mohinder's beckoning, he hurried in to hand Mohinder the phone.

"Thank you Peter."

Mohinder took a deep breath and was ready to answer Angela when he thought better of it. He muttered a quick 'hold on' and put his hand over the mouth piece.

"If you'd like Peter there are crayons and paper in Molly's room. They're all on the top of her white dresser. You can go color in her room."

Peter smiled and headed out of the study, stopping only long enough to cast a longing glance at the phone. Mohinder smiled at him and waited for his footsteps to fade before starting to talk with Angela.

"Yes Angela?"

_"Keep him warm. Always bring a jacket when you take him outdoors. I don't care how warm it is outside. He doesn't like onions or red meat. He has nightmares and he'll want to sleep with you. Handle that however you wish, but don't you dare yell at him for it. I've told him that Nathan is doing an extra cirricular project for school, a JROTC project, and that no phone calls are permitted. He will cry a lot, and I expect that you will give him the same amount of respect you always have when he returns to normal."_

The information had come quickly and had been given in a tone that left no room for arguement. Even over the phone Mohinder could tell that Angela was upset with the situation. He had known from the first time he met her that Peter was her favorite, her baby.

"Noah warned me about the cold. I won't feed him anything with onions or red meat in it. And Molly had nightmares all the time, I am quite adept at handling them. I'll go along with your story about Nathan and I'll try to keep him as busy as possible to keep his mind occupied. And I am well aware that for now he is only a child. It won't affect my opinion of him.

"Is there anything else I need to know Angela? Does he have any allergies or medical conditions?"

_"No, he's healthy. But as you know, the nerves on one side of his lip are dead. He was very self conscious about it as a child. Don't draw attention to it."_

"I won't Mrs. Petrelli. Also...I was wondering if you knew of any way I could keep the year a secret from Peter?"

_"Take him camping."_

There was a pause during which Mohinder sighed in relief and only Angela's soft breathing could be heard. Then--

_"And so help me if he comes back with a cold, I will have your head Suresh."_

Mohinder let out a single nervous laugh and ran a hand through his hair.

"Of course Mrs. Petrelli. I'll be sure to bundle him up extra tight."

_"I would like to say goodbye."_

"Of course, just a moment."

Mohinder held the phone away from his face and yelled for Peter. Immediatly he heard the frantic pattering of Peter's feet barreling his way. He held the phone out and Peter took it happily. The young boy cradled the phone to his ear and smiled into the mouthpiece, giving sweet goodbyes to his mother. Mohinder stepped around him and headed towards the kitchen. He cast a nervous glance over his shoulder, then began digging through his cabinets. In a small black tin, tucked away, there were sedatives. He still had them from his first encounter with Sylar. He pulled the tin out and pushed it against the wall on the counter. Mohinder took a deep breath and told himself that this was the only way he'd get Peter out of civilization without questions.

When Peter turned the corner into the kitchen Mohinder could see that he was sad the phone call had ended, but much happier than he had been earlier. Peter smiled up at him and carefully laid the phone on the table.

"Thank you for calling my mommy."

"Not a problem Peter. Um, you're mother gave me a wonderful suggestion. How about we go camping? You know, since the three of them are away we can go away as well."

Peter's face broke out into a huge grin. Mohinder chuckled light-heartedly and tried to fight down the naseauous feeling brewing in his stomach. He didn't feel right about drugging a child, but he couldn't see any sure way around it.

"I'd like that Mohinder! I went camping once, but I was only three and I don't really remember it. But Nathan said I ate a bug! Isn't that gross?"

Peter's story dissolved into giggles before he could describe what type of bug it was. But he made a few hand motions of himself eating it and Mohinder gave a genuine laugh despite his uneasiness.

"As a child I believe I ate a few worms."

Peter's mouth dropped open and formed an 'O'. Then his brown furrowed and his nose scrunched up as he tried to imagine what that would feel like. Unwilling to drag this out longer than nessecary Mohinder took Peter's silence as an opportunity.

"Why don't you finish up your picture and I'll bring you some tea."

Peter nodded and scurried away, intent on finishing up his picture before they left. When Mohinder was sure he was gone, he set a kettle on the boil and sorted through the dose he needed. Roughly twenty minutes later Mohinder had a drugged cup of warm tea sitting inconspicuously in a frog print glass. With a heavy heart he brought the cup to Peter, who was happily scribbling away. He mused that it looked something like a dog but he couldn't be entirely sure.

"Here Peter, drink up."

Peter turned away from his picture and accepted the glass. He muttered a quick 'thank you Mohinder' before taking a big sip. Mohinder stood in front of him, watching nervously. After the first sip, Peter looked up at Mohinder and opened his mouth as if to speak. But he said nothing. Instead his attention flicked back down to the cup and he finished the rest of the glass. Mohinder held his hand out and Peter returned the cup silently. With a barely contained sigh Mohinder turned away.

"I like you Mohinder."

Mohinder froze, his lower lip trembled and his palms clenched. He turned back to face Peter and gave him a sad smile. The boy was leaning forward with his head resting in his folded arms. But his face was towards Mohinder.

"I like you too Peter."

Seconds later Peter was asleep, whisked away by the drugs in his tea.

_____________

Gotta keep an eye on that Empathy Momo, he feels your guilt.

I'll go more in-depth about the trip to the camp site in the next chapter. And seriously, I sat at my computer for about a half hour just staring at wordpad going 'how do we keep the future a secret?' Camping was the only thing I could think of.


	5. Travel in Peace

Title: Childhood Memories

Chapter: 5

Summary: A special turns Peter into a child, and for now he's Mohinder's responsibility.

A/N: Gah! So much stuff due in college. I swear my professors are plotting with eachother. But I digress, I hope ya'll enjoy this chapter. And I'd like to apologise for any typos in previous and future chapters. I try, but I often fail to catch them.

3rd Person POV

The air in Molly's bedroom seemed to thin. All around Mohinder innocent childish things seemed to frame Peter and mock his decision. He clutched tightly at the cup, coming to his senses only at the groan of the plastic. He shook his head to clear his thoughts and tossed the cup aside before lifting Peter. He eased the boy gently into Molly's bed, hurried into his bedroom to gather what he needed for the trip. Next he checked Peter's duffle bag and zipped it back up. He had to work quickly or Peter would wake before he could finish the next step of his plan.

"Cell...cell...where, ahh--"

Mohinder reached forward and snatched his cell phone from the high shelf and dialed the company number. Three rings later he was greeted with the bored voice of a twenty-something middle man.

"This is Mohinder Suresh. Clear it with Angela Petrelli if you have to but I need one sedative pack, a private flight to New Jersey, a waiting rental car, and campi--"

"Mrs. Petrelli has all of it in order Mr. Suresh. A man is on his way to your apartment with a sedative pack. He'll drive you to the airport and see you off. Your provisions will be in the plane along with information about the camp site."

"Ah...well, thank you."

"Have a nice day sir."

Mohinder coughed awkwardly and sat on the edge of his couch. His hands were clasped tightly in front of him around the phone. He marveled at Angela's efficientness, then shivered at the implications. Even if Peter returned as an adult Mohinder would be held physically accountable for every injury or illness he sustained. And as frightened as he was about Angela's possible reactions, he was also worried about how he would handle Peter for such a long time. Peter seemed like the type of child to ask difficult questions. Questions like 'if God loves us, why does he let nice people die?' Mohinder didn't think he could handle it.

He feared that Peter would get sick or seriously injured. He feared that the nightmares would grow worse. He feared that somewhere, lurking in the shadows, Sylar would be waiting for a moment to strike. And he also worried about what Peter would tell him. Children don't learn the value of personal secrets until they've been burned by them. He knew that any moment Peter could let something slip that would fracture their adult friendship.

A knock at the door jerked Mohinder from his thoughts. He looked back towards Molly's room, but there was no change. Mohinder opened his front door and singled for the man to help with Peter's duffle. With one last glance around the apartment Mohinder nodded and slung his own bag over his shoulder before collecting Peter and holding him close to his chest, bridal style. The moved quickly and silently to the car, not wanting to risk the chance of Peter waking and yelling in a panic.

Once in the car a sedative pack was thrust Mohinder's way and the geneticist took great care to strap it across Peter's chest gently. With a second of guilty hesitation Mohinder rolled the clear tube between his fingers before easing it into one of Peter's nostrils and flicking the switch on at the lowest setting. He watched in morbid fascination as a swirling, barely there mist began to rise up the tube and into Peter's nose.

The trip to the airport was quiet and tense with only the sound of slow moving traffic to block out the worry buzzing in Mohinder's ears. He declined the offer to turn on the radio, instead opting to listen to the background noise and Peter's soft breathing. He had worked his fingers through every knot in the downy black hair and still kept up his stroking. He hoped that on some level Peter could still register the comforting gesture.

When the airport finally came into view Mohinder let out a sigh of relief. It would be a short flight, almost not worth it, but Mohinder was glad Peter wouldn't be on the sedatives for much longer. Even though he knew it wouldn't cause any lingering negative side effects he still worried. With the nameless assistant bidding him a good day, Mohinder cradled Peter's petite body to his chest and sang softly to him. He closed his eyes and lost himself in the Tamil lullaby, ready for the flight to start and take them away from the mess of New York.

* * *

The plane lurched forward as it landed, waking Mohinder from his soft slumber and shaking Peter's small form. The Indian blinked owlishly a few times before regaining his senses and clutching Peter tighter to his chest. The hard edge of the sedative pack dug painfully into his ribs and he did his best to ignore it.

With a weary sigh Mohinder stood and made his way down and out to the tarmac, carefully shielding Peter's face from the bright sun overhead.

"Almost there Peter, almost."

Peter was eased gently into the backseat and strapped in, leaning slightly against the wall. Mohinder tried to adjust him so he was as comfortable as possible. After running his fingers through Peter's hair one last time, Mohinder pulled away and shut the door. He ran quickly to the back of the SUV and doubled checked that their luggage and camping equiptment was all set in place. Feeling decidedly better about what was going to happen, Mohinder shut the trunk and made his way to the drivers side of the car.

The drive seemed longer than it was, the soft whir of the sedative pack weighing heavily in his consensce.

"You're doing the right thing. This is the only way to keep away Peter's questions. He'll be alright."

Mohinder's gaze flicked up to his rearview mirror, taking in the sight of Peter's small slumbering body. When he turned his attention back to the road the campsite was in view.

"Finally."

* * *

Gah! This chapter is short! Here's the low down, I have this WIP, my Settled World Verse, a couple of drabble extentions, and papers for my college classes. I'm a busy busy bee at the moment, but I'm trying.

This chapter is pretty boring, I'm sorry.


End file.
